too deep
by ineedjesus
Summary: Eve sends Flynn and Ezekiel on a mission together, hoping they'll settle their differences. However, it's their similarities that really steal the show, and things take a turn neither of them expected. And who could have guessed that whatever starts between them would finally bring Jake and Cassandra together?
1. you say my signs are vital

It was simple, really. Eve wanted to build team dynamic, she's always doing things to get them to bond. As a group, in parts of the group, in trios and in pairs. She sent Moriarty, Cassandra and Jenkins to some scientific convention. Moriarty bought so much merchandise, he came back looking like a tourist. Eve informed him of this, after a greeting kiss on his lips, and he informed her he might as well be a tourist, because he belongs nowhere in this world. The others in the Annex had all obligatorily busied themselves with other tasks while Eve gave Moriarty her sad knowing face, and interlaced their fingers.

She sent Jake and Ezekiel on missions together, she sent Flynn and Moriarty on missions. She took Cassandra to the spa for a girls weekend, leaving the boys to have an interesting time in the Frozen Land of Giants.

It had been a few months since Prospero had been defeated, and Moriarty had joined them. Flynn and Eve had broke up, but not in a hurtful way. It seemed to be a mutually understood thing. There was no tension between them, to the relief of the others. The last thing they needed was mom and dad fighting. There had been tension between Moriarty and Flynn, at first. But after their first mission together, something to do with Nepal and Ninja Monks, they seemed to have worked out their differences. They spent hours sitting with Jake and Cassandra, discussing stuff about philosophy and science and magic that went completely over Ezekiel's head. He spent most of that time off doing his own thing, whether it be helping Eve with some security renovations or marathoning The Walking Dead with Jenkins.

Jake and Cassandra had started volunteering to go on missions together. Just the two of them. Seemed to Ezekiel like those two were on the fast track to working out their differences. He was happy for them, of course, and happy for Moriarty and Eve.

But, if he was so happy, why did he feel so nauseous every time the couples so much as looked at each other?

"Jealousy is a fickle beast." Jenkins had commented, upon watching Ezekiel watch Jake and Cassandra talk lowly to each other across the room. Ezekiel had started, turning to stare at Jenkins.

"What? Me? Why would I be jealous?" He had demanded, hoping to deflect the knowing look the immortal was giving him. Jenkins just shrugged, smiling like he knew something Ezekiel didn't, and kept pushing his cart across the annex. Ezekiel had glanced at the other Librarians, across the room, to make sure they hadn't heard Jenkin's accusation.

Pssh. Him? Jealous? He was a lone wolf anyways. Besides, a few couples in a group didn't stop making it a group. And Jenkins and Flynn weren't with anyone. Yet.

Ezekiel had a feeling that it Jenkins were to be with anyone, it would be some timeless entity or immortal being, and that was all his business. He didn't seem the romantic type anyways. Well, not anymore.

As for Flynn...Ezekiel had a hard time envisioning anyone Flynn could last with. It would have to be someone who understood his work, and he'd blown it with Eve. It would have to be someone who could keep up with his rapid off the wall pace, and Cassandra was with Jake, and practically like a daughter to the guy. It would have to be someone who understood how selflessly selfish the older librarian could be, someone who understood his walls and his isolation. Someone who understood what it was to be alone. Someone who didn't want to be grounded, tied down. Someone who would be step by step with him, jumping up and running all over the world. Someone who could engage his mind, not shut it in.

Ezekiel blinked, having caught himself heading down an interesting and confusing train of thought. He shook his head, trying to force the strange feeling in his chest away. He stood, and followed after Jenkins.

"Up for a movie marathon, man?"

"Only if you allow me to choose this time." The caretaker said. Ezekiel rolled his eyes, knowing full well the old man would choose Top Gun again.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Ezekiel couldn't stop thinking about the oldest Librarian. They argued, not intensely, but they certainly bickered. Ezekiel didn't like the way Flynn still tried to dictate things. Flynn didn't like the way Ezekiel acted as if everything was a game to him. Oh, if only he knew.

Ezekiel did like how quick Flynn was, how excitable. He both admired the man's brilliance and couldn't help but envy it. He found himself watching the way Flynn's fingers tapped and twirled and fidgeted when he was still. The way his eyes lit up when he was onto something, when he realized something, the way he spun around in a circle as he moved from one raging train of thought to another. He liked the shape of the man's jaw and the sharp ratio of his frame. He liked the dumb layered suits he wore.

And he really, really hated how much he enjoyed being infuriated by him. He liked pushing the man's buttons, he liked how Flynn pushed back. Jake just got frustrated with him and left in a huff. Flynn knew better than to be fooled by the difference between Ezekiel and Ezekiel's image, but he didn't just roll his eyes, he didn't just nod or huff or give him a sad smile. He rose to every occasion and sparked a tension between them, that was hot like fire, and Ezekiel was ashamed of how he started to go out of his way to press against the flames.

So, as that went on, it was only a matter of time before Eve sent them off on a mission together. Ezekiel was excited, but Flynn was not. Ezekiel wasn't a fool. He knew Flynn didn't like him, whatsoever. Ezekiel wouldn't admit his own feelings for the older man, he'd take those to the grave. And he tried his best not to be bothered by the fact that by all accounts, Flynn disliked him strongly, and only tolerated him. Possibly even hated him. Which, despite how he wanted to pretend, hurt. But he'd brought that upon himself, it was entirely his own doing. And it was better than way, that was how things had to be.

But this excursion should prove to be fun, at the very least, engaging. The clippings book sent them looking for a tiny island that nobody had come back from, and the more people that didn't come back, the more people that went.

Flynn and Ezekiel headed to the small Florida port town most of the reports had been coming in from, and had gathered information from the friends of the people that had left. They all said the island was tiny, not big enough to build anything of substance. It became clear that they would have to just go to the island themselves, and instantly disagreed on how to get there.

"There's at least one cave opening on that island big enough for Jenkins to program for us!" Flynn protested, as they headed down the docks of the port.

"Oh, come on, give the guy a break. Besides, are you really going to tell me you wouldn't like a little boat ride through the keys on a day like this?" Ezekiel proclaimed.

"Not one on a stolen boat!" Flynn hissed.

"We'll give it back! It's for a good cause, and all that. C'mon, loosen up, it'll be fun!" Ezekiel said, and then strolled right up onto a small fishing boat that appeared empty. Flynn helplessly looked around the docks for a few minutes, hesitating, before he huffed and followed the younger Librarian, muttering something about just how loose he could be.

A few moments of unanchoring and hotwiring later, and Ezekiel was behind the wheel, his chest puffed up in self importance as he pulled the ship out into the harbor.

"How do you even know how to sail?" Flynn asked incredulously, standing behind him.

"I have developed a basic affinity for any vehicle I can steal. I once stole a tank." Ezekiel said proudly. Flynn stared at him, more impressed than anything else. Which made Ezekiel flush slightly, but he didn't know why. Eve would have shaken her head, Cassandra would have frowned, Jake would have made one of his weird noises and screwed up his face. But Flynn's usual annoyance fell away into genuine interest, and it was something Ezekiel wasn't used to from his companions.

"Wait, really? How?"

"Well…."

The boat ride was surprisingly amicable, as they delved down into retelling different stories of their various escapades. Flynn finally told him about the time he'd fought Dracula, Ezekiel told him about when he'd broken into Fort Knox, at one point using a candy bar in the heist. Flynn had actually laughed, at that part, and it did something to Ezekiel's stomach. Once you got away from the moral outrage, for a moment, Flynn seemed to enjoy his stories. Ezekiel was afraid to name why that made him happy.

They pulled the small fishing boat up onto the sand of the island, and tied the ropes around a jagged outcropping of rocks.

"I think that's the best we can do." Flynn said, frowning at it.

"If the tide takes it away i'm sure the Library can reimburse the chap." Ezekiel said, shrugging and turning towards the tree line. The island was so small he could see to either side the turn of it.

"All those people must be dead, there's no way they've been on this tiny island for weeks. And where are the other boats? Maybe people just say they're coming here, and run away." Ezekiel ponded, gesturing at the empty beach.

"Why would they lie and just leave? They left family and friends behind with no explanation, they had no reason to go according to them, it doesn't make sense...maybe we're dealing with some form of siren…" Flynn countered, squinting out at the water.

"Trust me, mate. People leave. People lie to you, and then get in a boat or a car and go away, never to come back. It's just what people do." Ezekiel informed him, with a bitter edge to his tone. Flynn turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that what someone did to you?" He asked, not beating around the bush. Ezekiel began to walk towards the trees, not looking at him.

"What are sirens like?" He asked, deflecting away from the question. Flynn didn't pursue it. Instead, he carried on to explain the different times to water beings.

They walked for a while, through thick tropical plants and trees, until they came to strange, perfectly circular pool in the center of the clearing, covered in pads and beautiful flowers. The water was dark and green, shimmering underneath the purple and pink flowers that floated over the surface. Something about the flowers seemed strange, as if they were bleeding purple liquid, which mixed uneasily with the dark green water, creating a marbling effect. The purple substance glowed slightly, in veins that spread out into the cyanic, tranquil pool. In the center of the pool was a small island in itself, a small raised circle of grass and moss, framed in ferns that dipped over the water. The tops of the ferns that touched the water's edge where shriveled and dead.

"Get back!" Flynn cried, but it was too late. They had both inadvertently stepped into the pool's edge, having stumbled over the edge of the bluffed ground in their attempt to free themselves of the bushes. Both of them couldn't seem to move, they didn't want to, the second the water washed over their feet. Ezekiel frowned down at himself, as the world turned hazy, golden, the air seemed sweeter, hotter, and the light seemed brighter. Ezekiel blinked as the colors of everything seemed to become more saturated, as everything blurred slightly and grew more vivid. It was absolutely beautiful. He felt an undeniable sense of peace work it's way into him, every muscle relaxing slowly. The feeling worked it's way up his legs, over his torso, and his neck lulled slightly as he spread over his whole body. What a wonderful place this was. Flynn swayed slightly. Then Ezekiel realized, from a sense deep in his mind, that something in this place was very wrong. He attempted to stiffen himself up, balling his hands into fists and blinking, trying to fight away the warm relaxation that beckoned him. He tried to move backwards, out of the water, but he could not. He turned his head to see Flynn was also rigid, arms outstretched as if trying to regain his balance, glancing all around with that sharp gaze of his.

"What's happening?" Ezekiel asked.

"A lotus pool! This far West?" Flynn exclaimed, in a moment of observational confusion, before snapping back into his panic. Then he looked at Ezekiel, and his face was part fear, part bussiness.

"What the hell is a lotus? Isn't that a casino?" Ezekiel exclaimed, slightly alarmed by his inability to pull his feet up from the glowing water. Flynn squinted at him.

"Haven't you read the Odyssey? Homerr? The Iliad?" He asked. Ezekiel shook his head. Flynn rolled his eyes, turning to look all around the edge of the pool. "Jake was right, you're the most illiterate Librarian there ever was."

Ezekiel felt the relaxing feeling pull at him more, beckoning. He clenched his jaw against it, trying to focus on Flynn.

"Can we stop talking about my lack of schema and focus? What's happening? How do we get out?" Ezekiel exclaimed. Flynn trembled slightly, head whipping back and forth, and then back and forth, as he thought a mile a minute.

"The Lotus nectar is a magical drug, it drains people of the will to live, feeds off of their desire and their passion and energy, turning them into brainless, apathetic shells. A pool like this is like a trap, concentrating the nectar into the water so people are trapped on contact, and can only move forward, not back, but the deeper in the more the magic works until they fall asleep in the water." Flynn rapidly explained.

"Doesn't that mean, like, drowning?" Ezekiel exclaimed, looking down at the dark marbled water, suddenly envisioning skeletons and half decomposed bodies rotting at the bottom of the pool.

"Obviously. No wonder nobody comes back." Flynn replied, grimacing himself at the thought of the rotting flesh particles floating around their ankles.

"How do we get out? I don't know about you, but of all the ways i've thought about going out, becoming magical flower fertilizer is not on the top ten list! It's not even on the list!" Ezekiel hissed, in increasing panic. Flynn thought for a moment, before he snapped his fingers and started to desperately pat himself down, searching his pockets.

"They saved their shipmates that ate the lotus flowers by forcing them away from the island, if we call the others, they can come and pull us out!" Flynn exclaimed. Ezekiel gave him an exasperated look.

"There's no fucking service here, dude, trust me, I was trying to check instagram earlier." Ezekiel told him.

"No average mobile service, maybe, but I have a magically enhanced satellite phone- aha!" Flynn exclaimed in triumph, ripping a large plastic phone from his pocket. But the jacket caught on the bulking device, and it spun out of his sweaty palms, and the two men watched in horror as it plopped into the water and sank beneath. There was a heavy beat of silence.

"Great going, genius. Now we're going to become lotus food." Ezekiel snapped, throwing his arms up. They felt heavier than usual.

"Oh, now i'm a genius! You're the only who just wanted to come out here, on a stolen boat, unprepared!" Flynn exclaimed angrily. Ezekiel felt heat rise up in him.

"I never said that! You're the one who charged in unprepared, I just wanted to get us here on a boat instead of jumping the gun through a damned cave opening! That could have gone even worse, you get off on going through the door and not knowing what the fuck's going to happen, don't pin this on me just because you hate my guts!" He shouted. The water began to ripple, and grow hot around his ankles.

"I don't get off on - well I - don't say I hate you, you have no idea what goes on inside my head, i'm nothing but more tolerant than I should be when you're the one who gets off on pushing my buttons! Don't think I haven't noticed!" Flynn shouted back, and Ezekiel's anger began to fade as his attention turned to the water, which was starting to churn, as if it had a current, and was so hot he felt it was near the point of burning his ankles. He stared down as the purple light of the lotus nectar started to fade.

"You think you're so good, that you've got everyone fooled, they keep telling me it's all an act and I know that, but you need to start acting like a real Librarian and-" Flynn was still shouting, but Ezekiel paid his words no mind, waving a hand.

"Flynn, stop." He said, staring down as the water kept heating up.

"No, you always-" Flynn kept going, classically tunnel visioned into his rant. Ezekiel whipped to make eye contact with him, and jerked his head down at the water. Flynn stopped, then looked down, attention flipping over to his surroundings once again. His eyes widened.

"Dual current!" He exclaimed.

"The magic drains desire-" Ezekiel said.

"-and passion, energy. The more we give into that instead of the apathy, the less it can maintain itself, it become unstable. The pool…" Flynn turned to stare at the small outcropping of grass.

"We've gotta get over there, we've got to get out of the water." Flynn instructed.

"But aren't we not supposed to go deeper?"

"We have no choice. I think if we can get heated ourselves enough, the pool will dissipate, but if we try to pull it off while we're in the water, we'll get boiled alive. Is being Thief-Librarian soup on your list of good ways to die?" Flynn asked, gesturing towards the grass circle. Ezekiel sagged his shoulders for a moment, and then steeled himself.

"Lead the way." Ezekiel said to Flynn. Flynn clenched his jaw, turning towards the middle of the pool.

"If we get pissed while we try and get there, it should help." Flynn said, as he started to wade forward.

"You've never respected what I bring to this team!" Ezekiel shouted as he followed, trying to stay tense and trying to focus on his endless well of suppressed emotions, instead of the pull of the nectar. It seemed with every stride, the effect doubled, and his knees threatened to give out. He felt like he was drunk, and the world started to blur.

"Of course I didn't at first! I thought you were nothing but a selfish thief who had no respect for the value and beauty of the world!" Flynn called back. Ezekiel focused on that, on the man in front of him. As the world started to blur, he forced himself to wade deeper, a heady and lulling sensation overtaking him. He fought against it as hard as he could, letting the heat in his chest burn at it from the inside out. The water was up to his waist, but Flynn was already at the outcropping, dragging himself into the grass. Ezekiel pushed forward, and started to falter. But then he snapped to stand straight again, reaching to grab the edge of the dry soil.

"You have no idea what I really value!" Ezekiel snarled, voice half twisted in anger, half twisted in effort as he struggled to pull himself out. Flynn grabbed at his arms and gave him a pull, and they rolled onto the outcropping together, gasping in breath, as the sensation calmed slightly.

"Because you keep it that way. It's infuriating. You've got so much and you keep it hidden and it's like torture to me!" Flynn gasped out. "The others just put up with it but I can't!"

Ezekiel turned to stare at him, trying to blink away the haze in his eyes. "Why? Why does it matter so much, why don't you just leave it alone!" He huffed, furrowing his brow at the other man. Flynn dragged himself into a sitting position, and Ezekiel did the same.

"Because i'm a Librarian, I can't leave things alone! Because you matter! The Library chose you and you won't let anybody see why!" Flynn exclaimed. Ezekiel's emotions were all mixed up, and he didn't know how to respond to that. He just shook his head, and turned to watch the water churn around them. It was working, but not enough.

"Why do I still want to fall asleep? Why is this still happening?" Ezekiel asked in confusion. He felt the pull still, and it was growing stronger by the second. As if the magic was fighting back.

"We came in contact with the nectar, our bodies absorbed it. The magic won't stop unless we're far enough way, or unless the pool is destroyed. Even if we don't drown, we'll fall into a magic coma here forever." Flynn explained.

"How do we destroy it?" Ezekiel asked, not enjoying the idea of being catatonic forever in the caribbean. Although, some people would love that idea.

"Have to keep giving into energy and emotions instead. But it's kinda hard to get mad, I really…." Flynn huffed, turning to look at Ezekiel with brutal, exhausted honesty.

"I really don't hate you. I mean, I kinda did, at the start, but I don't anymore." Flynn admitted. Ezekiel stared at him, feeling a terrible trembling of his relieved heart. He let his eyes move from Flynn's face, to the water.

"You said desire and emotions, right?" He asked. Flynn nodded.

"Desire to live, to be, desire to hate, to fight, to lo-" Flynn started to elaborate, but was cut off when Ezekiel's young and wanton lips crashed into his. The whole world stopped, and then began again. And Flynn was frozen in the shock of Ezekiel clutching at his soaked shirt and kissing him, kissing him with a tangible desperation. It seemed forever in a moment as his mind tried to process this. After the lack of movement or response, Ezekiel's desperate confidence dwindled into uncertain fear, and he pulled away, ready to apologize. But before the gap between their lips graced a mere millimeter, Flynn, much like a riptide, fell back only to crash back forward. It was Ezekiel's turn to be taken by surprise. But it was a happy shock, a relief, and then he sunk into it, hands slowly moving to wrap around Flynn, moving himself closer. Their skin was hot wherever it touched, and their lips felt like the surface of the sun. The water began to bubble all around them, disturbing the lotuses.

Ezekiel had kissed more than a few people in his lifetime, but this took the proverbial cake. Maybe it was the lotuses, the way the world was so hazy and vivid. Maybe it was because Flynn was older than him, older than most of the people Ezekiel had ever kissed, and he certainly seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe it was because Ezekiel actually cared this time.

It started slow, as their arms wound around each other. It picked up pace soon, once tentative mouths found a rhythm. Heartbeat against heartbeat, and soon Ezekiel found himself melting slightly, as one of Flynn's hands found it's way up to tug at his hair. Ezekiel broke the kiss to let his head follow, distracted by the sensation and the silent demand. He was in such a daze, it took him a moment to realize Flynn had a reason for that, and that realization only came when Flynn moved in to devote attention to his neck, kissing up the side of his pulse, open mouthed kisses, tongue joining in to spread heat over his already burning skin. Ezekiel felt like his spine had evaporated, and he let his body sink into every touch.

"I want you." He said, using the lack of a mouth on his to voice a breathy confession.

Flynn made a humming noise. "You can't have all of me, not yet, not here. Well, not here specifically now. Hypothetically we could in the future..." He informed him, kisses and tongue moving up the curve of his jaw. He wanted to kick himself - now really wasn't the time to ramble, Carson. You're about to make a big mistake or - an amazing fortunate decision...

Ezekiel let out a sigh and turned his head, to catch that mouth, pulling Flynn into a deeper kiss this time, one that was shorter in it's duration but doubled in it's passion. When they broke away, their eyes were locked together, only breaking away slightly to roam over the other. Like their gazes were in a dance, and it was one that could not know words.

"Why not? It's not my first time. Wait, is it yours?" Ezekiel asked, words soft and slightly slurred, as if everything between them, between the brilliant flowers was a secret.

"What? No. We don't have anything to be safe besides magic water, you idiot." Flynn huffed, with a smile spreading over his features. Ezekiel grinned too, a humorous grin. It wasn't even a real joke. Why he was so giddy, he did not know.

"Well, it is magical…" He said mockingly, even though he agreed with Flynn's logic now that he thought about it. He was a bit disappointed. Flynn just shook his head slightly, and reached to push Ezekiel's half soaked jacket off his shoulders. Ezekiel let him, shrugging it off, turning his head to watch it go. Flynn took that as an invitation, mouth moving to the other exposed part of his neck. While he busied his mouth over the skin of Ezekiel's throat, the older Librarian's hands moved to unbutton Ezekiel's shirt. Ezekiel was suddenly very glad he'd worn a button up today. Maybe, subconsciously, he'd known he was going to need easy access. The thought made him laugh lightly, causing Flynn to grin against his skin.

They continued to kiss as they moved back, until they found themselves laying side by side, arms tangled. Flynn had a fixation on Ezekiel's jawline, but Ezekiel had no complaints. He only moaned, eyes fluttering closed. Just before they did, however, he saw over the horizon of Flynn's cheekbone that the water was boiling rapidly now. Steam clouded the visibility around the entire circle of dry land, a column of purple steam rippling with what looked like green lightning. It cast a combination of shadow and contorting light over them. It was mesmerizing, The magical looking lightning, and it discharged up into the atmosphere.

Ezekiel was distracted from noticing this by Flynn's hands moving up under his shirt, running over his abdomen lightly, just light enough to make him shudder. His muscles seized up in trepidation at the sensation, before shakily letting loose, his body going lax. The older man mouthed from his jawline, to his neck, to the crescendo of his collarbone. Ezekiel made a slight gasping sound, and then tensed slightly, embarrassed.

"Hearing your appreciation," Flynn sad, and then paused to move his tongue along the taught underside of where his collarbone stretched up against his skin. "Would not be a bad idea, I assure you."

"Stroke your ego, you mean?" Ezekiel asked with a half assed huffed, smugness misguided by the pleasure warming him. Flynn only made a humming around in response. Then the older LIbrarian pulled back. He was half straddling Ezekiel's legs, awkwardly trying to keep his balance as he unbuttoned his own shirt. Ezekiel blinked away a slight haze, and took the hint. He, unfortunately wasn't wearing a button down. If he and Flynn where to go on more solo missions together, Ezekiel would have to start wearing them more often. The thought struck him, like a punch to the gut. The abstract yet particular idea that there was a future, and these actions would have consequences. What outcome would come, Ezekiel did not know. Insecurity whispered assurances of repetition, but instead of letting the neurons behind his eyes fire out of control, he pushed that all away. Such a distance, the future. At least, that was how it seemed, separated from the spin of the world by a whirling vortex of thick, suffocating purple haze. Steam pushed heat into the center of the outcropping. Or, perhaps, it was them pushing heat out. Either way, it rolled through the atmosphere like waves to a resonating beat. Like waves on a ramshackle sea.

"Are you alright?" Came a question. Always questions, coming out of that mouth. Ezekiel blinked up at Flynn, who had sat back a little on his knees. He looked concerned. Ezekiel realized he'd frozen in his thoughts, halfway through pulling his shirt over his head. Ezekiel shook his head, and finished the movement, arching his back up to finish the flexion. He dropped his shirt behind his head. Flynn looked down at him, looking if anything else more apprehensive.

"We really don't have to if you-" He started to say, but Ezekiel cut him off by bucking up his legs while reaching to pull him down. Flynn fell forward but caught himself, one hand against Ezekiel's bicep and the other against the ground next to the younger man's head. They were flush, bare chest to chest, Flynn now straddling him higher up. Ezekiel reached to his chin and coaxed his mouth downwards so they could meet. An impossible moment of heat and movement, and then breath again. Flynn, once he had surfaced, grinned down at him. He then raised an eyebrow, looking over Ezekiel's chest and stomach as he squeezed the hand cupping his arm.

"Huh. Not what I expected." He said. Let's just say Jones was just shy over the line of toned, but what he wore downplayed evidence of effort. Ezekiel just shook his head slightly in amazement. Always permanently distracted. Better to call him back in the right direction with action. Ezekiel slipped his hands up, pushing them to trail down Flynn's abdomen to meet the resistance of belt and pants. He moved over the trousers, and reached between Flynn's legs through the fabric. Only half dry, like his own. Flynn's eyes went wide, and his chapped lips parted slightly. Then he let himself fall slowly back down into Ezekiel. Laying on top of him, Flynn kissed him again as he snaked a hand down between him themselves, and returned the favor. It was Ezekiel's turn to gasp, squirming a bit. He spread his legs a little so he and Flynn had room to intertwine. Flynn took a moment to roll to the side a little, and made surprisingly quick work of his pressed pants. Then he straddled the younger librarian once more, and moved to kiss down Ezekiel's chest. All the while his callused hands undid the button and zipper of his red skinny jeans. Ezekiel did his best to assist by struggling to kick off his shoes. One went too far, and rolled away until it splashed into the violently boiling water.

Ezekiel paid it no mind, arching his back again. He dug his strong shoulders and heels into the ground, lifting one leg at a time so Flynn could pull the pants off and discard them. Obtrusive clothing gone, left both in respective boxers, they could crash back together again. Ezekiel moved into Flynn's mouth, reaching a tongue to beg along the line of their meeting lips. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten such raw enjoyment just from kissing someone. He blamed it on the literal magic in the air.

In this position Ezekiel could reach back up and finally slip his hands eagerly under the waistline of the man's boxers. His plaid boxers. Why would Ezekiel be surprised? Flynn gasped as Ezekiel wrapped his hand around him, but Ezekiel paused. He raised an eyebrow, and their lips broke to exchange a look.

"Not what I expected." Ezekiel commented, and gave the already hard length a slow stroke. Flynn's eyelids fluttered over the top of his indignant look. But no response could come, because soon Flynn's mouth was pressed back to his own, and his hands were plunging beneath the red horizon of Ezekiel's shorts. Ezekiel jolted, and they moved further against each other. He made a muffled groan, eyes rolling behind his lids. The unoccupied of Flynn's hands traveled up over his skin to rake through Ezekiel's hair, tugging on it slightly. Their kiss broke with the movement, and Flynn did more than kiss his neck this time. As the man's hand moved around his erection, his teeth grazed Ezekiel's pulse before pressing down, and holy shit he didn't know he'd be so into that. A spark of slight pain dissolving into pleasure. Ezekiel made another noise he would properly be embarrassed about, but couldn't find effort to give towards embarrassment.

Instead, he tightened his grip, twisting his hand as he sped up. This caused Flynn to falter in his own movements, forehead resting in the crook of Ezekiel's shoulder as he panted. The heat was sweltering, thick steam clouding even their own air in the center of the column. It collected on their skin as if they were in a sauna, rolling down off them. Ezekiel's hair was plastered to his forehead and his breath came heavy and wet. This only added to the headiness of his growing pleasure. Sparking through his body at every faltering stroke, the pleasant warmness burned up inside of him like nothing else. The heat flared with the rhythm they'd adopted, moving slowly against each other in an off kilter push and pull.

What more could Ezekiel expect - it became a competition. To see who could make the other moan louder, to see who could bring the other undone first. Ezekiel had a vague sense of just how loud he grew, which was very new to him. On the flip side, all of his attention was devoted to the body wrapped up in his, and all the places their superheated wet skin was touching. Alternating speeds and movement to throw Flynn off, switch it up to get him to fall apart. And boy, was it effective. The older LIbrarian curled his fingers into Ezekiel's hair, head curling into his shoulder and grip tightening. Ezekiel groaned at the feeling, grinning to himself in a smug glow. His grin widened when Flynn gasped, the return of that breath faltering into a raspy moan as the man on top of him tensed up, before shuddering and melting as he came between them. Not the greatest sensation, but Ezekiel was far too gone to care. In situations like these, everything felt good. Ezekiel radiated pride that he'd won, mixing in with the bodily pleasure to give it's own heightened elation. He should probably give Flynn a moment to recuperate. The man had a few years on him, after all.

This logic came easily through the haze, and he listened to it. But something else came to him, something less defined, and he found his head turning to press kisses to the side of the man's face. He pulled his out of Flynn's shorts as he did, and extracted the arm from between them so they could lay flush. All besides Flynn's hand, still down the front of his boxers, having gone still. Flynn breathed in and out slowly, and slowly moved his head so they were practically nose to nose. His pupils were blown wide. His focus narrowed in on Ezekiel again as he came down from that high, and the task at hand presented itself deliciously. Ezekiel found himself opening his mouth to say something, but the hand on his cock was moving again and all words were forgotten. A slight lapse in stimulation only served to cause a whole new wave of pleasure. It rose up, winding it's way around his core, and he bit his lip before letting himself relax into it. It was in itself like a battle, trying to keep his body from tensing, focusing on letting himself melt into the pleasure and Flynn instead. It was far better that way.

Finally, climax approached, and he couldn't help but arch up, pressing against Flynn and digging his nails into his shoulder. Flynn was keenly aware of his approaching orgasm, and bite down again lightly on his neck, tongue and teeth ensnaring his rapid pulse. Ezekiel made a noise something embarrassingly close to Flynn's name in whimpering form. Flynn's tongue laved over the flesh indents of his teeth as Ezekiel came with another embarrassing exclamative. And then they sagged, a jelly-boned panting heap of librarian. The first thing Ezekiel registered after fading from the blinding white of his orgasm was the heat had receded. His head turned, and he saw the steam dissipating, starting to clear. To reveal no water left in the pond at all. The lotus pads were boiled into soggy, dead mounds of slim.

Ezekiel let his head slowly turn back to Flynn. The older Librarian had a supremely blissed out expression. The most relaxed Ezekiel had ever seen him look. Ezekiel realized that what they'd just done, it was the first time he'd ever experienced Flynn so focused on one thing. And it was all for him.

The pleasure ebbed from it's own curb of intensity, and reality set in. He was lying with flynn. Half naked. Covered in cum and condensation from an evil pond. And evil pond they'd defeated by rutting against each other like teenagers in the back of a car at night. That idea of consequences returned, and Ezekiel swallowed as an embarrassed flush graced him.

"Well." Flynn said, blinking at the naked thief as he came to his own realizations."Not how I envisioned this mission going, i'll say that." He said, voice a bit rough. He cleared his throat awkwardly. Ezekiel could feel the vibrations of the sound distinctly through where his shoulder met Flynn's chest.

Ezekiel felt doubt come upon him, just as it always did.

"I'm...sorry?" He found himself saying softly, suddenly feeling guilty, and ashamed. Since it seemed from that statement, Flynn had regret. He should have expected as much.

Flynn's eyes widened slightly. It first struck him that this was the first sincere apology he'd ever heard the thief utter. And it was the first time he'd ever seen him look not even a bit confidant - there was a slowly devastating fear reflecting back at him in Ezekiel's eyes, and he rushed like the riptide to push it away. That was not what he'd meant to imply.

He pressed forward and reached a hand to beckon Ezekiel into another kiss. This one was slow, gentle, and born of a whole new hesitant question. That idea of consequences and future rippled between them. Flynn pulled back, but only a little bit, so their foreheads were touching.

"Don't ever be sorry about this." He said, and his words brought another element into whatever they were together - a coolness, that soothed the rough inflamed edges and promised something more intoxicating than evil ponds and lotus flowers.


	2. maybe it's too wrong

Jacob Stone knows he's a genius. And he knows most of the world is never going to look at him right off the bat and say, "Hey, this guy must be really, really smart."

But he's beginning to think even his _teammates_ truly doubt his intelligence. Ever since Flynn came back to them and Moriarty joined them, Flynn and Ezekiel had been acting. Well. As you would expect them to. So a few weeks ago, Eve had sent them on a solo mission. And from the looks of it, it had gone well. They hadn't given specifics on what had happened, but had proclaimed they'd taken care of it. And said they had worked out some issues.

Ever since, they'd been acting weird. Not in the way they were being nice to each other, that wasn't the weird part. (They still bickered anyways, but it was less often and seemed to be more good natured than anything else.)

No, the weirdness lay in that they started taking solo missions together. And they wouldn't go into details when people asked about them. They'd say a few things and then split off and flutter away like evanescent moments lost in time.

So recently, Jake had individually asked them about their most recent mission. Flynn had told him something about werewolves in Ireland. Ezekiel had told him something about Harpies in Singapore.

Obviously, they were lying. They were up to something. Something big, based on how often they went on their missions. Jake for the life of him couldn't imagine what the two of _them_ could be hiding. Frankly, he was angry. They were supposed to be a team! They weren't supposed to hide things from each other.

Jake, determined to get to the bottom of the situation, merely bided his time until the next _solo mission_. He spent a good time around the Annex, so he'd know if they headed out the Backdoor together.

Low and behold, on a particularly uneventful day at the Library, Jake was reading through manuscripts at the Round Table, when Flynn entered, Ezekiel trailing behind him. Ezekiel pulled out his phone and began to type rapidly, and the Backdoor lit up. Jake watched them, trying to appear only slightly interested.

"Where are you two going?" Jake asked. Flynn and Ezekiel looked at each other, looking for an answer. That alone told Jake enough.

"Some disappearances in Germany. No big deal, we've got it. Probably just a rogue vampire " Flynn announced. Jake nodded, pretending to accept that answer.

"Right. Well, have fun. Try not to die." Jake said, looking back at what he was pretending to be doing, hoping if he was dismissive to them they wouldn't be suspicious.

They left, the door clattering closed behind them. Jake stood, hurrying quickly over to the globe. He waited for what he deduced would be enough time for them to be down whatever street or hall they'd come out in, before he respun the door to the same location, and pulled it open. A slight jerk through the membrane or whatever Jenkins was calling it, and he found himself on a busy street. He spun around, peering into the crowds, until he spotted two familiar heads bobbing away.

Jake stayed back, trying to appear as if he were just another tourist, as he followed them through busy market streets. They seemed to be walking pretty slowly for a dire mission, and laughing a lot.

He followed them all the way to a particularly expensive, old looking hotel. Well, it looked old and medieval on the outside. On the inside, as he slipped into the busy foyer, he found it was a bit more modern. He got distracted by the beautiful seventeenth century architecture, and when he turned to look back, the two of them were gone. He cursed, and hesitated, before he headed to the front desk.

Even with his best German and his most winning smile, it took a long time and some smooth words to convince the lady at the front desk to give him the room number of his friends. He supposed he was picking up some tricks from the two of them.

The room was on one of the top floors, one of the more romantic suites. Jake assumed they'd probably gotten it for some reason. Maybe because it was bigger? Maybe they were planning a stake out? Maybe Ezekiel just enjoyed luxury. So did Flynn, Jake realized, in his own way.

He came upon the door and summoned all his dignity, and knocked on the door. Nobody replied for a good few minutes.

"Guys? I know you're in there." He called. Still, no reply. He glanced up and down the empty hall. Then he reached out, and just on whim, tried to the door handle.

It opened easily, to reveal a extravagant room. Flynn's satchel was on one of the armchairs by the paneled glass balcony doors.

"Guys?" He called. Nothing. He walked through the suite, found a master bathroom, with another door at the back of it, probably leading to a closet. Jake frowned, looking at the interesting marble counter of the bathroom while he thought. They must have come up here, and then left again. But why would they leave the door open -

As if on cue, he heard the door of the room open, and heard voices approaching. Jake whipped around, and shuffled behind the half open bathroom door. He didn't know why he felt the need to hide, but at least for a little while, he wanted to see what was going on for a little while before they knew he knew something was going on.

"...I'm telling you, pizza is better." Ezekiel's voice wafted in, as footsteps echoed farther into the center of the room.

"You think pizza is better than _everything_. You wouldn't know quality food if it bit you in the ass." Flynn huffed, sounding like he was shutting the door behind him. A flop and the sound of bed springs sounded out, and Jake assumed Ezekiel had jumped on the bed.

"Don't project your desires on food." Ezekiel teased. Jake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Flynn asked.

"You are _such_ a biter. You know how many scarves I had to fish out, to cover up the hickies and the bite marks you've given me? Luckily, I look good in scarves." Ezekiel laughed. Jake froze, feeling his brain short circuit. Hickies? Biting? What? Why - why the hell would Flynn be - that didn't make any sense.

"Well, you also look very good covered in hickies and bite marks." Flynn countered, and his voice was lower, closer.

"Whatever, I look good in everything. You just like biting. Half a mind to wonder if _you're_ the rogue vampire we claimed to be fighting." Ezekiel quipped.

"Yeah, well, I came pretty close…" Flynn replied, voice different now. Distant, edged with remorse and memories that should be left in the past.

Then there was an interesting beat of silence. Jake was still trying to process what in the _hell_ -

"I'm sorry." Ezekiel said, and his voice was soft. Genuine. Jake felt like he'd been slapped. Had Ezekiel just _apologized_? _Sincerely_? Without any sarcasm or defense? What was he even apologizing for? "I didn't mean to bring that up." Ezekiel carried on, and the bed creaked.

"It's alright. You know, if you don't like the biting, we talked about how we need to talk-" Flynn started to say, seeming to struggle with openness.

"I do! I was just pulling your leg." Ezekiel cut him off.

"Well, you're hard to read." Flynn huffed.

"I know. I like it that way. I know it drives you crazy." Ezekiel said, with an air of smugness. The bed creaked more, and the position of their voices shifted somewhat.

"Everything you do drives me crazy." Flynn said, more of a breath that a sentence. Jake senses the atmosphere had shifted, and he inched forward, farther into the corner the half-open door and the wall made. He pressed his eye to the hinge of the door, trying to squint through the crack that it opened up.

He could see that they were both on the bed, and with a slight focus of his vision, they became clear. Ezekiel was laying back on the bed, legs half hanging off, while Flynn's mouth was pressed into the curve of his neck. Flynn's hand was in between Ezekiel's legs, and Ezekiel's head was tilted back, his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

Jake could only state, jaw going slack. What the fuck. What. What the hell, what the fuck was going on, why were they touching each other like that! No, no, no, what the _fuck_ -

Ezekiel moaned, and Jake felt his face start to burn. He could not remember a time in his life that he had ever been as _mortified_ as he was right now. Screeching rang through his head, thoughts devolving into pure confusion, disgust, and disbelief. This could _not_ be happening. Was this a nightmare? Some fucked up nightmare?

Flynn moved to straddle Ezekiel, and grabbed his wrists, moving to press them to the bed above Ezekiel's head. Ezekiel wasn't a twig, he had some good muscles on him underneath his so-called fashion sense. But Flynn was experienced, Flynn was a trained fighter. Flynn could do anything to Ezekiel and probably get away with it. Jake could barely process they where banging, let alone process he fact Ezekiel was just letting himself be over powered.

Flynn returned to biting and sucking on the younger Librarian's neck, and Ezekiel bucked up against him. Jake felt like he was going to throw up. It suddenly occurred to him they really were about to fuck. Right there. Right in front of him!

He had to get out of here. He turned, eyes locking on the closet door. With a fever of panic, he tiptoed towards it. He reached for the handle, and closed his eyes, praying. _Begging_. Flynn could use whatever door he liked all the time, and right now, Jake really really needed Ray to let him do it to.

He turned the handle, and stepped through, and felt a jolt before blinking to find himself in the Annex.

"Thank you!" He shouted, up towards the empty Annex, running his shaking hands through his hair. He then walked swiftly out of the room. He needed a fucking _drink_.

Jake found himself now avoiding the two men, trying to mentally process the information he'd mistakenly sought out. For the next few days, it played through his head, tormenting him.

Ezekiel and Flynn. Flynn and Ezekiel. They were having sex. And had been for a while, apparently. And keeping it a secret.

Of course they were keeping it a secret! It was just… _wrong_. And no, not because they were guys. Jake himself liked both, even if he attempted to be subtle on the matter. No, it was _wrong_ , because Flynn was what, twenty plus years older than Ezekiel? Plus...it was obvious Flynn was just using him. He was using Ezekiel to take out whatever issues he had revolving around his break up with Eve. Ezekiel was young, still a kid, in Jake's opinion. And he was being taken advantage of! The power imbalance here wasn't even just about the age, it was just...there was no way this wasn't toxic. And Ezekiel was just going to get hurt, he was probably already getting hurt.

And Ezekiel and Jake may not get along all the time, but they were friends. Partners. Jake only got so mad at him because he knew the thief was better, could be better. And he was protective of his friends. Especially his younger friends, who didn't have the best people skills, and were being coerced into a _highly_ inappropriate relationship. If you could count secretly messing around a relationship.

Jake's shock and mortification soon morphed into anger as logic cleared up the fog. Anger at Flynn, for doing this to Ezekiel when everyone could tell Ezekiel had probably already been hurt before.

He decided he would do something about it fairly quickly. Over the next few days, he forced himself to stomach his feeling and begin to stick around the Library more, instead of brooding in his apartment over the matter. He tried his best to act normal around Ezekiel and Flynn.

His chance came when he entered the Annex one afternoon, to find Moriarty and Eve eating lunch with Cassandra and Jenkins.

"Where are Flynn and Ezekiel?" Asked Jake, instantly noticing the lack.

"Went on a mission to Montreal, I think." Cassandra said. Jake's jaw clenched. He headed towards the backdoor. Moriarty's knowing gaze followed him.

"And where are you going?" The fictional inquired.

"I was planning on going with them." Jake lied, as the door lit up.

"But you just asked us where they were, implying you did not know." Moriarty pointed out.

"I was wondering if they'd left without me yet, I was running late." Jake maintained, as he reached to pull open the doors.

"Remember that what you do not know can hurt you, Doctor Stone." Moriarty called, both his title and the cryptic phrase giving Jake pause. He looked back. It occurred to him that Moriarty had probably figured out what was going on before Jake had. That only made Jake angrier, and soon he found himself in the bustling, French speaking streets of the largest city in Quebec.

He wandered around for what felt like forever, picking up a few clues and making a few assumptions, until he finally found his colleagues. They were in the Botanical Gardens, and Jake kept himself out of few as he finally closed in.

He approached from behind, narrowing his eyes as they came into few. They were sitting on a bench, by the water. Flynn had his arm around Ezekiel's shoulders, a she sipped some sort of drink. The intimacy of the scene only served to righteously piss Jake off more. He started walking faster, already formulating the harsh words he had for the oldest Librarian.

But as he grew closer, the scene grew more distinct, and he found himself stopping a few yards behind them. He blinked, drinking in what he was seeing.

Ezekiel was leaning into the crook of Flynn's arm, and Jake suddenly realized he was asleep. He was asleep against Flynn's shoulder while Flynn looked out over the gardens, eyes following the movements of people walking on the other side of the water.

Jake stared, feeling suddenly like he'd miss stepped. Ezekiel was...he was really asleep. No doubt about it. And most people wouldn't think much of it, people fell asleep in public every once in awhile. But not Ezekiel Jones. There was so way in hell Ezekiel Jones would _ever_ let himself fall asleep in public, or even around other people. He never let his guard down, not even at the Library. The few times that they'd been on a mission overnight, Ezekiel had not slept. He never slept around them. In fact, Jake was certain the only times he'd personally seen Ezekiel sleep where the gas poisoning incident, and the incident with Ray.

If Ezekiel would let himself fall asleep like this, around Flynn and in _public_...it meant he must feel safe. He must trust not only Flynn enough to be vulnerable around _him_ , but he must also trust Flynn enough to put his safety against other threats in his hands. Ezekiel didn't even trust Eve with that, Jake was sure.

As Jake processed this earth shattering revelation, he watched Flynn's head turn to look down at his young lover, and a content smile graced his features. It then occurred to Jake how… _calm_ Flynn was. He was relaxed, he was sitting still, and didn't seem to have any intention of moving. Flynn was _always_ moving, always restless. But not now.

Jake blinked, as if he'd woken up from a dream. He ducked his head, and then he turned away, beginning to walk back the way he'd come.

Jacob Stone knows that Ezekiel is not stupid. And if he feels safe around Flynn, and if Flynn feels content around him, then...whatever was going on between them was not what Jake had assumed. And if Ezekiel was safe, well, Jake had no business sticking his nose in. Better to leave them alone for as long as they wanted. For as long as they needed.


	3. believe in you (but i'm still faithless)

Jacob Stone knew how to mind his damned business, and he knew how to keep an eye on Ezekiel and Flynn while still staying in his lane. And that's what he did for the next few weeks. Things seemed to be going well between Flynn and Ezekiel. They made no move to tell the others their secret, and often snuck away together. The others seemed to check it off to them bonding about nerdy things. It was only Jake that knew better. But he said nothing.

Until, of course, he heard rapid knocking on his door one day. He opened it to find Cassandra, looking jittery and wild eyed. She kept looking over her shoulder and bouncing on her heels.

"Jake! Jake! Holy shit, I just saw them! I can't believe it! It tasted like kiwis, that was weird, but it was weird-" She was talking so fast Jake felt his head spin. He held up a hand.

"Woah, woah, Cassie, slow down! What the hell?" He exclaimed. Cassandra blinked at him, and then took a deep breath.

"I saw Ezekiel and Flynn _kissing!_ " She whisper yelled. Jake grimaced.

"Oh. That…" He said, reaching to scratch the back of his head. Cassandra's eyes widened.

" _WHAT?!_ " She practically squealed, with a jerk of her body. "You _knew?_ "

Jake looked either way down the hall, hoping none of his neighbors had heard. Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"You knew they were a thing? How did you know? Why didn't you tell me? What kind of thing are they?" She demanded.

Jake sighed. "Calm down, okay? It's not what you think."

"What I think? I think - I think - I don't know what I think! Is Ezekiel using Flynn or is Flynn using him?" Cassandra wondered, hands flying this way and that as hallucinations of mental images on intercourse statistics started to cloud her vision. Jake reached out and grabbed both her flailing hands, pulling them in between them. Her vision faded back to normal as she focused on him, and then they both took a moment to blush. Then Jake let her hands go, and cleared his throat.

"They aren't - nobody is _using_ anyone, okay? I thought so too, at first. I caught them and I thought Flynn was taking advantage of him." Jake explained. Cassandra put her hand over her mouth.

"You caught them? How did they react?" She asked eagerly. He winced.

"Uh...they still don't know that I know. I panicked and ran. And since then I started watching them, and they were sneaking around behind everyone's backs. So, I went to confront them...but then I kinda ended up spying on them, on a date or whatever, and...I realized I was wrong. They seem to really click. They seem to be good for each other. They're sneaking around just because that's what they want. We should respect that." Jake said, shrugging and nodding his head.

Cassandra drank that information in. "So...they're really a thing? Like, in a relationship?" She asked slowly.

"I'm pretty sure. Not exactly sure how they're labeling it, because I haven't talked to them. Decided to leave it alone." Jake explained.

"But you're sure Ezekiel isn't being hurt?" Cassandra asked, seriously. Jake nodded, and she sagged a little. She adopted a thoughtful expression.

"Well, I guess if they're alright…" She shrugged, and Jake nodded along as her voice trailed on.

"So," She asked, eyes lighting up in interest. "What did you see that made you change your mind?"

Jake couldn't help but get excited. Finally, he had someone to talk to about this shit. It had been driving him crazy for weeks.

Ezekiel woke up to a mouth on his throat, leaving a trail of warm kisses. He felt himself turn warm and fuzzy from the inside out, and he curled up slightly as he flushed. He opened his eyes and grinned, eyes glancing up at the man leaning over him.

"Ticklish?" Flynn asked, raising an eyebrow. Ezekiel just scowled at him, but it had no bite. Flynn grinned winder, a twinkle of a long lost mischievous youth still brightening his eyes.

"Or are you just sensitive?" He questioned. Before Ezekiel could respond, Flynn dove back down and his mouth was on Ezekiel's neck again. But this time, his teeth met his flesh, biting down just enough to make Ezekiel's head roll back with a moan.

When he pulled away, Ezekiel rolled over a bit, huffing. He ran his hand through his hair, body tingling.

"Shit, man, we have to go to work…" He lamented weakly. Flynn just kissed him more insistently, and Ezekiel relaxed like melting butter.

"I thought _I_ was supposed to be the one with the spiked libido…" Ezekiel pondered, as Flynn's mouth moved down his jaw and back to his neck. Flynn chuckled at that, hands moving over Ezekiel's torso in all the ways he liked. Flynn had made it clear early on that he had a goal to memorize everything that made Ezekiel feel good. Not that Ezekiel had any complaints about that .

"Okay, fine, but it's your turn to be the one who comes in even later." Ezekiel conceded, wrapping his arms up around Flynn, flipping them around and straddling him.

Ezekiel pulled his scarf up closer to his jawline as he hurried into the Annex. Flynn had waited behind at Ezekiel's apartment, and he'd be along about twenty minutes after Ezekiel. As not to cause any suspicion.

He came into the large, familiar room to find Jake and Cassandra waiting for him. They were pouring over paperwork, side by side, pressing together way more than research called for. Per usual.

"What are you two lovebirds up to?" Ezekiel called as he approached. They both looked up at him, and then glanced at each other with a slight blush at the term. Jake looked back down at the paperwork, but Cassandra's bright eyes fixated on him.

"Just reading up to get ready for our mission. The clippings book rang while you were out, the big one, so Eve's sending all three of us. There's hauntings reported in a town in Canada, but Jenkins says it sounds like ghouls." Cassandra explained.

"Ghouls, that sounds fun. Haven't met those yet." Ezekiel said. He took a seat next to Cassandra, putting his feet up on the table. He then pulled a rubber ball out of his pocket and started to toss it in the air. Cassandra's eyes flicked to the scarf around Ezekiel's neck, and she remembered what Jake had told her before.

"So, where's Flynn?" She asked, before she could stop herself. Ezekiel froze, blinking at her.

"Why would I know?" He answered, a little too casually. Jake's head whipped towards Cassandra. She had promised not to blow their cover! They weren't supposed to know! Cassandra seemed to realize her mistake, because her eyes widened awkwardly and she laughed, hands starting to flutter in all directions.

"Uh, well, I just thought, you know, you might have run into him by the door or something!" She said nervously, as if it was nothing. Ezekiel gave her a suspicious look for her strange behavior, but seemed to accept the answer.

"Well, I didn't, so...are we gonna get going or what?"

Jake and Cassandra were inspecting one of the "haunted" houses, one that had been abandoned by it's terrified owner. Ezekiel was at town hall, looking up records on all the homeowners being tormented, to see if they had any similarities or common enemies. The minute they were alone, just them in a dusty house with flashlights, Cassandra couldn't take it anymore.

"He is _totally_ hiding hickies under that scarf, I can't believe it! Did he really think we wouldn't notice him wearing so many scarfs in the springtime?" She asked, jumping up and down, giddy with the drama of it all. Jake, more conflicted on the subject of gossip, clenched his jaw and turned on her.

"Well, for one thing, you didn't notice shit until you saw them making out. Secondly, Cassie, c'mon. You seriously need to tone it down like, five notches. Blowing the lid off of this thing is just going to turn everything into a big mess. How could you have been so convincing when you snuck the Serpent Brotherhood past us, but now you can barely keep it together?" Jake demanded, slightly irritated at her behavior. He had been doing perfectly fine keeping this all to himself when it had only been him.

It was obvious the second it came out of his mouth that he had said the wrong thing. At least, he had said it the wrong way. Cassandra's face fell and she grew still, seeming to slump slightly as his words washed over her. Just one sentence, and all the excitement and brightness had dulled into regret and the pain of old wounds. His own heart twisted painfully in remorse and self hatred as he watched. He shouldn't have said that. He hadn't meant to hurt her.

Her face, now solem, didn't falter. She swallowed visibly, clenching her jaw.

"Well, _for one thing_ ," Cassandra started, her voice wavering slightly as she mocked him. She puffed her chest out, trying to stand taller.

"That was life and death. This is just harmless gushy drama. _Secondly,_ how many times are you going to turn that against me? I told you you don't get to judge me! Not when you wasted your life based on your own choices!" She exclaimed angrily, but the kind of anger that was just thinly veiled despair and desperation. His throat grew dry and his heart was heavy, but his mind didn't allow him to give way to weakness. He turned away, shaking his head.

"C'mon, let's just focus on the mission. We still haven't checked the attic."

"Ghouls, eh?" Flynn asked, when they were alone in the Annex. The mission had been long, but not particularly difficult. The whole time, however, Jake and Cassandra had been acting weirder than ever. Ezekiel chalked it up to their repressed emotions for each other, and did his best to ignore them. Which proved easy, as the minute they were back, they had both made a beeline for the two different doors without so much as a goodbye. Eve and Jenkins were off in the bowels of the Library, working on some weaknesses in Eve and Ezekiel's new security protocols. That meant that for right now, it was just Flynn and Ezekiel in the Annex, on either side of the Round Table.

"They were pretty vexing." Ezekiel replied, grinning across the table at the other man. Flynn made his way around the table, and Ezekiel waited for his approach, heart hammering. Flynn and Ezekiel had been engaging in this… _whatever_ it was for a good few weeks now. Still, after all that time, his heart couldn't help but pick up pace when the older Librarian got close to him.

Flynn leaned against the table while he faced Ezekiel, their bodies just centimeters apart. Flynn's eyes were cast down, and his head was tilted slightly. He reached out to run his fingers underneath the edge of Ezekiel's jacket, just brushing over his hip. Underneath his jacket, Ezekiel was wearing a rather tight shirt, so he could feel the caress starkly. He shivered, glancing at the doors in fear. He had no idea what he would do if anyone ever found out about… _this_.

At the same time, all he wanted to do was be closer. He resisted the feeling, however, and focused on reality.

"It wasn't that fun, though. Jake and Cassandra were acting weird the whole time." Ezekiel sighed. "Sometimes it feels like i'm talking to a pair of brick walls, that are too busy pretending there isn't a whole room of bullshit between them."

"They'll work past it." Flynn tried to say hopefully, giving Ezekiel a smile. "In the meanwhile, how about we get out of here?"

Ezekiel wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get used to the feeling of having people to come back to every time he stepped through a door. And now, having someone to come home to? He felt like he was walking around in a daze, high off of the release from his loneliness. When was the last time he'd had someone to wake up to? Someone to be close to?

Jake took a deep breath, and knocked on the smooth red door in front of him. It took Cassandra just two knocks to answer the door, and Jake quickly pulled his hand away. She blinked at him, and visibly clenched her jaw.

"Jake! What are you doing here?" She asked, sounding concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I mean. Somethin wrong but not at the Library, nothing _bad_ bad. Something wrong with me." Jake attempted to clarify. Cassandra raised her eyebrow.

"Wrong? What do you meant?" She asked, glancing up and down the hall.

"Look- " He took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep lashing out at you like I did. I understand why you did and I don't like it still, but I promised myself it wouldn't come between our relationship." He said, somewhat breathlessly. Like it took tremendous effort. Cassandra's eyes widened slightly.

"Our...relationship?" She asked, voice trailing off in a manner he knew he couldn't avoid. Jake's heart trembled, and he turned his head away from her questioning gaze. He couldn't answer that. Not now. Things just - things weren't right. He wasn't right.

Cassandra didn't seem keen to take that as a no, so she stepped closer to him, reaching out. His heart skipped a beat at her proximity, and he stepped back. Cassandra stopped, a disappointed expression on her face. He just stared at the space between them, probably pale with how terrified he was.

"I'm sorry. I have to go." He said hoarsely, before turning and disappearing down the hallway. Cassandra watched her fellow Librarian walk away with a heavy heart.

"Where's Flynn?" Eve asked, as she and Cassandra walked into the room. Jenkins, Moriarty and Jake were studying an ancient tapestry together, turning to the girls as they entered.

"I believe he left with Mr. Jones on an errand." Moriarty said coolly, turning back to the tapestry. Jenkins' gaze followed, but Jake's didn't. Jake and Cassandra locked eyes, having a silent conversation.

Eve moved over to where the boys were and asked them what they'd learned so far, but they were soon interrupted.

"Actuuuaallyyy…" Cassandra started to say, folding her hands in front of her in mock innocence. "Jake and I had something to go check up on, you think you can handle this thing without him?" She asked.

Jake whipped to stare at her, silently trying to tell her _hell no_ , but she paid it no mind.

"Yeah, sure, we'll be fine." Eve said, waving them away. Cassandra grinned in triumph at Jake, who opened and closed his mouth. He realized he had two options - go along with Cassandra on her plan to spy, or deny her and raise suspicion about the whole situation. God damnit. Why did he get into these situations?

Admitting defeat, he grabbed his coat and sighed. Jake grumpily followed Cassandra as she skipped out the back door, muttering his woes. This wasn't going to end well, unless he could keep her from blowing everything up. Ezekiel and Flynn had gone to New York, a place extremely familiar to Cassandra. She managed to pick up their trail in almost no time.

"They're obviously not here on a mission, unless there's a case here that involves eating dinner at a five star restaurant." Cassandra announced, as they watched Flynn and Ezekiel enter a glowing restaurant entrance together. They where all the way down the street, in the outdoor section of a nearby bar. The sun had already set, and the stars were starting to grace the sky.

"Well, mystery solved, they're on a nice romantic date. Can we go home now? I've got manuscripts to translate!" Jake complained, glowering unhappily down into his Blue Moon. Cassandra turned to look at him over her shoulder in what seemed to be a mixture of disbelief and eager desperation.

"Oh, come on, Jake! You already got to see them being cute together! You already got to spy on them! And now you're saying I can't because you're so much better than me?" Cassandra demanded. Jake looked up at her, furrowing his brows.

"What? I'm not - I've never said I was better than you!" He exclaimed. Cassandra looked away, pursuing her lips.

"You sure act like it…" She said, not as under her breath as it was supposed to be. Jake felt guilt rise up in him, manifesting in the will to prove himself. He chugged the rest of his beer and slammed it down on the table as he stood up, raring to go.

"C'mon, i've got a plan." He told her in determination. Her eyes lit up, and she hopped to her feet in glee. Jake suddenly felt a rush of excitement and affection, and he took her hand without thinking about it. She squeezed it, and he lead her out of the bar, light on their feet. Nothing brings people together more than some good natured spying on their mutual friend.

"So, what's this great plan of yours? Are we going to sneak into the kitchen and dress up as waiters?" She asked, as they headed towards the doors. Jake stopped them just outside the door, peering in the glass to assess the situation. Yup, he was right. It was one of those restaurants that had a bunch of wooden dividers up between tables, to give diners privacy. The wooden dividers where thin and orange tinted, with a lattice on top that was interlaced with flowering vines. Damn, this was a _nice_ place. Jake momentarily wondered who paid the bill at the end of the night, but he quickly extinguished that line of thought.

"No, they'll see our faces if we try to wait them. See, they're getting seated over there," Jake pointed towards the far east corner of the restaurant, where he could barely spy the waiter leading the shapes of his friends between the maze of dividers.

"There's tons of empty places around them. We'll go in once they're seated, pay the seater extra to seat us next to them, make sure they don't see us while we go over there, and then listen through the divider. It's easy to hear other people's conversations if you're near them and focused on it. As long as they never see or hear us, we should be fine." Jake explained. Cassandra was pressed close to him as she craned to spy at the scene over his shoulder.

"I love it! But isn't this place super expensive?" She asked. Jake turned to look at her, shrugging.

"We get paid enough at the Library, and I haven't really been spending much of that. I can splurge on a dual purposed dinner for a beautiful woman." He said, smiling and giving her a slightly charming inclination of his head, which would have probably been more effective had be been wearing a cowboy hat. Nevertheless, Cassandra stepped back from him and blushed, her face hot against the cold New York evening air.

"We better change, first. There's a place down the street, and I have my credit card." Cassandra said. This time, she grabbed Jake's hand, and they quickly headed down the street and around the corner. Around twenty minutes later, they were walking back around the corner in much nicer clothes. Jake busied himself with making sure all the tags were off their clothes, while Cassandra struggled to pin her hair up quickly. She pulled her new tight purple dress down before they walked into the door arm in arm.

"A table for two," Jake asked the man with a pleasant smile. He reached out and shook his hand, slipping a twenty into his palm. "Over there in the corner, where it's a little dimmer. Good lighting is hard to find, you know?"

The seater slipped the twenty in his pocket with a slight air of surprise. Jake panicked internally, wondering if that was the proper amount to bribe someone to be seated. Whatever, he could be generous. Either way, it got them what they wanted. They kept quiet while the gangly man lead them to the far eastern corner, and Jake was relieved when they were seated just on the other side of the divider from where he was pretty sure Ezekiel and Flynn were sitting.

Once the seater left them to make their meal choices, Cassandra moved over to Jake's side of the table.

"You're closer to them." She whispered to him, as way of explanation. With that, they leaned closer to the divider, straining to hear.

"...you sure you don't want to dine and dash? I have like, three escape routes already worked out." Ezekiel seemed to be in the middle of suggesting. Classic Ezekiel.

"These people work hard, Jones." Flynn said primly. "Besides, I've got more money than a man like me needs. And you love to spend money, you know you do."

"Guilty as charged." Ezekiel said with an air of smugness.

"This place is to die for. I would know." Ezekiel added, in a tone as if it was a clever joke. Jake's eyebrows furrowed. Had he meant what Jake thought he'd meant? Cassandra's expression didn't show any interest in the statement, but maybe she was just concentrated. They were rather hard to hear.

"Cheers to that." Flynn said, and the slight clink of two glasses rang out.

"I guess we are two peas in a pod. While, three. Eve came pretty close too." Ezekiel considered.

"Well, it's not really the same level. Eve and I, we came close to death, only to be pulled back. But you went the full mile, and came back. Which still blows my mind. You truly are extraordinary." Flynn said, and his voice adopted the same air it had when he was talking about some magical or historical marvel. Cassandra and Jake exchanged a heavy glance.

"No, i'm not. I'm just a millennial. Who better to beat a video game?" Ezekiel asked nonchalantly, trying to pass away the praise.

"It's more than that and you know it. You're special." Flynn said, softer than usual. There was a beat of silence.

"Not to say me and Eve aren't also special...you know what I meant…" Flynn tried to salvage. Another beat of silence.

"Do you miss her?" Ezekiel asked quietly.

"Eve?" Flynn asked. "Yes. But not in the way most people would think. I still care about her, and I'm somewhat ashamed of screwing that up so badly...but i've moved on, I think. I'm glad she's happy. Even if it's with Moriarty." Flynn said the last name with a ring of contempt, and Ezekiel chuckled.

"Oh, shut up. If Eve wasn't dating him, you would be and you know it." Ezekiel huffed. Flynn made a slightly flustered sound.

"I - he - well, whatever. I don't know. It's still all a bit confusing." Flynn conceded.

"Well, you have me until you figure it out at least." Ezekiel replied. The scraping of forks against plates stopped on Flynn's side.

(At this point in time, Flynn reached across the table and held Ezekiel's hand in his. Now, Jake and Cassandra can't see this, but I felt like it's something you needed to know.)

"You know that's not the reason i'm...doing this, whatever it is, with you, right? You're not just some rebound. Not that that's a bad thing, I mean - that's just not what this is." Flynn said, slowly, searching for reassurance.

"I know that." Ezekiel replied, too quickly. Yet another beat of heavy silence followed. Cassandra wiggled her eyebrows at Jake enticingly. Obviously, she was enjoying herself.

Then, they started to speak again, but they did it lowly, as if they were leaning over and whispering to each other. Cassandra frowned. Before Jake could stop her, she was standing up and edging closer to the divider.

Jake tried to wave her to sit back down, and they started to silently argue. But this only proved to be their downfall, as Cassandra swung her arm too far while gesturing at him, and lost her balance. Jake watched in horror as she staggered heavily into the thin wooden divider, causing it to teeter. Then it slowly started to groan as it fell towards Flynn and Ezekiel's side.

Flynn was sitting opposite the divider, and Ezekiel had his back to it. So when it started to fall , Flynn noticed it, while Ezekiel just kept eating his shrimp dish. Flynn instantly knew he wouldn't have enough time to convey the situation to Ezekiel right now, so he just got up as quickly as he could, whipping around the table to grab Ezekiel's jacket and yank him up. Ezekiel yelped in confusion as Flynn started to drag him, keeping his plate and his fork in his hand as he followed the movement. Just as Ezekiel was clear of the divider's path, it hastened in it's last half of an arc, and crashed into the table loudly. The whole restaurant fell dead silent.

Flynn and a disheveled Ezekiel stood dumbfounded, staring down at the divider. Then they both looked up at the two people on the other side, who were frozen in guilt and horror. Cassandra, standing closest to where the divider used to be, nervously started to laugh.

"Flynn! Ezekiel! Wow, what a coincidence meeting you here!" She exclaimed, her voice cracking. Ezekiel narrowed his eyes at them, face twisting up in offense and disbelief. Flynn looked pale, and started looking in all directions as patrons started to rise up, trying to peer over their own dividers to see what the commotion was.

"How about we take one of those escape routes we were talking about, and then we can talk about how you were obviously spying on us." Flynn suggested, pointing towards the swinging door to the kitchen with one hand, and to the angry security guard approaching them with his other hand.

Nobody needed to be told twice. They all broke off into a run, rushing out through the kitchen and racing away through the city. Once they were clear, they slowed down, all gasping for breath. Ezekiel straightened his jacket, and then rounded on the other two LITs.

"What the hell were you doing?" He demanded. Cassandra and Jake exchanged a wide eyed glance. And then they both started talking a mile a minute.

"It was her idea!'

"He did it first!"

"Yeah but I stopped, you wanted to come this time-"

"You didn't _have_ to come with me!"

"You didn't give me a choice!"

"Wow, I wonder what that feels like!"

"Hey hey hey, calm down!" Flynn exclaimed over their arguing, causing them both to snap their mouths shut.

"Why were you following us?" Ezekiel demanded again, crossing his arms. Cassandra sighed, shoulders sagging.

"Okay, it was all me. I saw you guys kissing the other day. I wanted to see what you were like when you were together because I know you're probably not going to like, come out, or whatever, for a while... But Jake's known for like, waaaayy longer, so..." She added, as if this would somehow help her.

"Wait, you've known for how long?" Flynn asked Jake, while Ezekiel's face turned redder and redder.  
Jake couldn't bear to look them in the eyes as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"A while ago, I thought you guys were acting weird, you know, after the mission to Florida you went on...I knew something was up so I followed you, and I saw you guys together, you know, dating or whatever, so I left it alone because that's your business." Jake explained.

"Yes, it is our business. You followed us around because we were getting along? Thanks, mate, really says a lot about what you think of me. Think I have to be fucking someone to get along with them?" Ezekiel demanded. Jake set his shoulders back.

"No, but I do think you have to be getting along with someone to fuck them. Which is why I left it alone. The only reason I followed you in the first place was because I was worried about you!" Jake exclaimed, taking a step towards Ezekiel. Ezekiel scoffed.

"Why would you be worried about me?" Ezekiel asked. Could he really be that oblivious.

"Because I _care_ about you, you idiot!" Jake was practically shouting now. Silence fell, as Jake took a deep breath, and Ezekiel just stared at him. Ezekiel blinked. Then he looked down at his feet, before looking over at Flynn.

"So you're...fine with...this?" He asked, turning his attention back to Jake and Cassandra.

"Yeah. I mean, it's unexpected, but, you seem...happy...or whatever, so...yeah." Jake said, stumbling over his own words. But his sentiment was true. Cassandra nodded alongside him enthusiastically. She looked downright _excited_.

"So are you two…?" Flynn piped up curiously, gesturing between Jake and Cassandra. The two of them blushed simultaneously, and Ezekiel rolled his eyes.

"Oh my god, dude, don't even. Don't even make them answer that. It'll get you nowhere. Let them figure it out." Ezekiel cut in, turning towards Flynn and putting a hand on his shoulder before anyone could think to respond. Flynn pursed his lips and nodded in understanding. Jake tried to swallow past the lump in his throat, now acutely aware of Cassandra's presence next to him. But he was too afraid to look over.

"So, uh, anyways...should we all get going? We'll say we dealt with whatever we dealt with, and maybe we can talk about this more tomorrow?" Flynn suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jake said, somewhat dryly.

"Lead the way!" Cassandra replied enthusiastically, eager to return to her apartment and sleep off all of this embarrassment.


End file.
